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Precision System Moves Highly Fragile Food Products

This automated material handling system provides a total process solution for moving highly fragile food product through multiple process operations into bulk storage for temporary holding prior to final packaging. At a process rate of 12,000 lb/hr, bulk totes of the food product are nested into a lift carriage; the tote is sealed to a custom-designed discharge hood. The tote is vertically conveyed, using 1½-in., solid 304 stainless steel track and cam rollers, to a 23-ft discharge height. During tilting of the tote, optical sensors ensure a maximum product discharge drop distance of no more than 5 in. throughout the entire 150º rotation. Additional material handling occurs as three stages of vibratory conveyor move the highly fragile food product through two stages of high-speed image processing and sorting to ensure the material maintains its original characteristics throughout processing. The finish-processed food product is then moved into a storage tote using a reverse-tilt fill method to, again, ensure the product drop does not exceed 5 in. during filling. The final take-away conveyor section includes an integrated, NTEP-certified weigh system to ensure the filled tote weight is accurate to +/-.01% of the tote’s 4000-lb total capacity.
National Bulk Equipment Inc., Holland, MI 616-399-2220 www.nbe-inc.com